$25 Million or Bust: A Bay Area Home Goes Up for Auction

A home previously listed for $45 million on Belvedere Island, Calif., is hitting the auction block later this month; Gerard Depardieu lists his apartment in Paris; Bruce Makowsky has listed his north Beverly Park home for $26.5 million. Alyssa Abkowitz has details on The News Hub. Photo: Matt McCourtney.

Dec. 13, 2012 3:19 p.m. ET

A home previously listed for $45 million on Belvedere Island, Calif., on San Francisco Bay, is hitting the auction block later this month.

The 15,176-square-foot spec home was completed in February and has seven bedrooms, nine bathrooms and three half baths, a home theater, wine cellar and a gym. It also has solar power, a living roof over the garage and smart-home technology. The 1.14-acre property includes a pool, a motor court and views of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Bay and Alcatraz.

Private Properties

A home previously listed for $45 million on Belvedere Island, Calif. on San Francisco Bay goes up for auction Dec. 30, with a starting bid of $25 million. Matt McCourtney

The home was reduced from $45 million to $36 million several weeks ago, says Olivia Hsu Decker, the listing agent. The seller, developer Jeff Paster, decided to auction the home off to "speed up the sales process," Ms. Decker says.

Ms. Decker, in conjunction with Guy Masters, a luxury home auction consultant of non-distressed properties, will auction off the property Dec. 30. There is a starting bid of $25 million. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the buyer's charity of choice and Hurricane Sandy relief efforts.

—Alyssa Abkowitz

French Actor Gérard Depardieu Puts Town House in Paris's Left Bank Up For Sale

French actor Gérard Depardieu has put his left-bank Parisian town house up for sale. French daily Le Parisien reported the asking price as $65.4 million.

Last week, Mr. Depardieu was at the center of a nationwide controversy after the mayor of a Belgian town said the actor was moving to his area, possibly to pay lower taxes. A spate of proposed tax hikes to repair France's public finances is leading many wealthy to consider leaving the country.

Sandwiched between the old haunts of Ernest Hemingway's Montparnasse crowd and the fashionable Saint-Germain-des-Prés district, Mr. Depardieu's house, built in 1820, is listed as a historical monument. It includes 20,000 square feet of living space with a swimming pool and a former theatre converted into a modern, museum-like hall overlooking the property's gardens.

French real-estate agency Daniel Féau, which has the listing, declined to comment on the price. The actor's spokesman didn't return calls.

—Mimosa Spencer

323 Acres and Three Bedrooms: New York Property Lists for $12 Million

The upstate New York lake property of Morton Olshan, chairman of Mall Properties, is on the market for $12 million.

Located in Hillsdale and Claverack, N.Y., less than two hours from New York City, the 323-acre property has a private, 40-acre lake. A farmhouse with three bedrooms, two bathrooms and multiple fireplaces stands near the edge of the lake. Frances Schools, the listing agent on the property, says a buyer could build a main home on the hill, overlooking the lake. There are also views of the Catskill Mountains and a trout stream.

Mr. Olshan bought the property 42 years ago for about $500,000, Ms. Schools says. He's selling the property because his grown children and nieces and nephews don't use it anymore.

—A.A.

Martin Lawrence's Former Beverly Hills Home Asks $26.5 Million

A home previously owned by actor Martin Lawrence is asking $26.5 million.

According to people familiar with the situation, a fashion executive bought the property in a private sale from Mr. Lawrence. According to public records, the house sold for $17.2 million earlier this year. The new owner, the founder of a handbag and shoe company, renovated the home to lighten its rooms and "put his stamp on it," says Michelle Oliver, one of the listing agents.

The 15,500-square-foot Neoclassical home with seven bedrooms and 10 bathrooms has a two-story entry and a home theater. The 2.2-acre property includes a sunken tennis court and a 1,000-square-foot guest house and pool house.

Ms. Oliver and Connie Blankenship of Coldwell Banker Previews have the listing.

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